How to save money on groceries

Budget-friendly beef

Avoid the tender trap: Buy value cuts like chuck pot roast, bone-in sirloin roast, and pork shoulder, at $3 to $5 a pound. While not as juicy or as quick-cooking as rib-eye or pork loin roasts, they have top-notch flavor,
tenderize with slow cooking, and can feed a crowd.

Meet a new meat: For an economical version of premium, $20-a-pound filet mignon, try flat iron steak (also called top blade), a richly marbled butcher’s bargain at $5 a pound. This newly created cut, from the
steer’s shoulder blade, used to go into the grinder for hamburger until a more precise cutting technique was developed.

Steer clear: Skip those pricey premade burger patties. Make your own with ground beef from a family pack of three or more pounds and save nearly 15 cents per patty; freeze any extra meat for another night.